Question

How do people traditionally manufacture (制造) things? They usually start with a sheet of metal, wood or other material and cut, drill (钻) and shave it to create a desired shape. Sometimes, they use a mold (模具) made of metal or sand, pour liquid plastic or metal into it and let it cool to create a solid part.

Now, a completely different method is gaining popularity.

On Oct. 9, 2013, London Science Museum kicked off its new exhibition, 3-D: Printing the Future, with over 600 3-D printed objects on display, including space probes (探测器), toy dolls and even human organs – basically any product you can think of, reported Live Science.

You might find it hard to believe that an object can actually be “printed out” like a picture. But it is not that hard to understand how it works. Just as a traditional printer sprays (喷洒) ink onto paper line by line, modern 3-D printers spread material onto a surface layer by layer, from the bottom to the top, gradually building up a shape.

Instead of ink, the materials the 3-D printer uses are mainly plastic, resin (树脂) and certain metals. The thinner each layer is – from a millimeter to less than the width of a hair – the smoother and finer the object will be. And objects always come out in one piece, sparing you the trouble of putting different parts together afterward.

For example, 10 years ago a desktop 3-D printer might have cost ￡20,000 (200,000 yuan), while now it costs only about ￡1,000, according to the BBC. In fact, 3-D printers have been around for some time, but until recently they hadn’t been very popular since few people could afford them. Last year, though, saw a big decrease in the price of 3-D printers.

However, as 3-D printing technology becomes more commonplace, it may trigger certain problems. One of them is piracy (盗版). “Once you can download a coffee maker, or print out a new set of kitchen utensils (餐具) on your personal 3-D printer, who will visit a retail (零售的) store again?” an expert on 3-D printing told Forbes News.

Even more frightening, the world’s first 3-D printed gun was successfully fired in the US in May of this year, which means that 3-D printing could potentially give more people access to weapons.

1.According to the article, in the future, 3-D printing technology will probably ______.

A. change the way people make products

B. be applied as widely in our daily lives as computers

C. forbid many countries to make purchases of weapons

D. take the place of normal printers and save lots of energy

2.What was the big event that happened in the 3-D printing industry last year?

A. Over 600 3-D printed objects were on display in an exhibition.

B. 3-D printing technology came to be used in various fields.

C. The world’s first 3-D printed gun was successfully made.

D. The 3-D printer became more affordable for consumers.

3.What is the author’s attitude toward 3-D printing technology?

A. Amused. B. Objective.

C. Supportive. D. Negative.

Answer 1

1.A

2.D

3.B

【解析】

试题分析: 本文主要介绍了3-D printing技术，不同于传统的物品制作建筑程序，它几乎可以制作出

人们想象的任何东西。当然它也有一定的问题，例如盗版。

1. 推断题。根据第一段They usually start with a sheet of metal, wood or other material and cut, drill (钻) and shave it to create a desired shape和第二段Now, a completely different method is gaining popularity可知，传统地人们使用金属，木头和钻子，锯子等工具制作物品，而3-D printing技术将彻底改变这一方式。故选A.

2. 细节题。根据第六段but until recently they hadn’t been very popular since few people could afford them. Last year, though, saw a big decrease in the price of 3-D printers可知以前因为价格昂贵，人们无法负担。而去年3-D printers的价格降低了很多，故选D.

3. 态度观点题。根据全文大意可知作者介绍了一种新的技术即3-D printing，举例说明了它的原理和利弊之处，所以作者对此的态度是客观的。故选B.

考点：考查科普类短文阅读